Bunny ate mesh screen! Advice?!?!

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This topic has 9sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 7 months ago by joea64.

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- 09/13/2017 at 7:53 AM
  SuzyQ
  Participant
  5 posts
  New bunny owners! Gorgeous white Lionhead doe.
  Our daughter puts her in an outdoor hutch when she goes to school.
  We had placed a mesh screen overlay on top of the habitat’s wire screen, to protect her from insects.
  Somehow she managed to pull a section inside! A 3/4″ x 3″ section is missing! Pretty sure she ate it!
  Advice?!?!
  I put a brave face on for my daughter (the bunny owner)… but I am very worried!
  This sweet bunny is her best friend! She snuggles with her for hours each day!
- 09/13/2017 at 8:00 AM
  joea64
  Participant
  1423 posts
  What is the mesh screen made of? Has the bunny been eating/pooping normally since you think she ate that piece?
- 09/13/2017 at 8:03 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22342 posts
  Hi SuzyQ
  Is it that plastic type fly mesh?
  
  The best thing when a bun has eaten something it shouldn’t have (plastic, rubber etc) is encouraging them to eat lot of hay and drink water. The fibre should help everything move through quicker. But if you see your rabbit snubbing food, not producing droppings or acting out of the norm, it’s best to get them checked out at the vet.
  
  Some rabbits can get away with eating all sorts of things, then there are some that are have more sensitve tums and even certain vegetables can cause them problems.
  
  I hope she will be okay! Keep us updated on how she is doing.
- 09/13/2017 at 8:10 AM
  SuzyQ
  Participant
  5 posts
  Not certain. It is a fairly soft mesh… like window screen in homes.
  Not sure about eating/pooping… we just saw the screen!
  Emptied her litter box so we can tell if she stops pooping.
- 09/13/2017 at 8:15 AM
  SuzyQ
  Participant
  5 posts
  It is not plastic. It is a fairly soft mesh screen like used for home windows. Not certain what it is made from?
  We will encourage her to eat more, and watch for digestive issues.
  Thank you! ?
- 09/13/2017 at 8:23 AM
  jerseygirl
  Moderator
  22342 posts
  Emptied her litter box so we can tell if she stops pooping.
  
  Great idea!
  
  Is it possible something else torn of that portion from the outside?
- 09/13/2017 at 8:28 AM
  SuzyQ
  Participant
  5 posts
  Unfortunately she somehow pulled the screen into her hutch….
  It was definitely NOT done by something outside the hutch.
  ?
  … I feel horrible! We added the mesh screen to keep her safe from insects! I never imagined she would manage to pull it into her hutch through the wire screen, and eat it?!?!
  My daughter wanted to stay home from school to be with her, I promised I would check on her dear bunny every 30 minutes!
- 09/13/2017 at 9:28 AM
  joea64
  Participant
  1423 posts
  The best thing to do right now is to observe her behavior as closely as you can for the next 12 hours or so to see if there are any drastic changes in eating or toileting (specifically pooping), and offer her food (especially hay – the fiber keeps her GI system moving and will help elimination of whatever she might have ingested) and water. Do you have a rabbit-savvy veterinarian local to you?
- 09/14/2017 at 11:04 AM
  SuzyQ
  Participant
  5 posts
  Day two:
  She is eating less hay, even when tempted with Alfalfa hay.
  Eating pellets and veggies as usual.
  Pooping 1/3 the normal amount.
  Does not want her water, so feeding extra veggies (for moisture).
  Still active, jumping, playing, etc…
  She did make 3 high pitch squeak sounds this morning?
  Keeping her beside me all day.
- 09/14/2017 at 11:22 AM
  joea64
  Participant
  1423 posts
  Have you tried any other types of grass hay (orchard, meadow, brome, oat, Bermuda)? I recommend, if you haven’t already, that you wash the vegetables down thoroughly before serving them to her – that will get more water into her. To be candid, rabbits generally do get a lot of their water through their greens anyway, so keep her eating those (wet) vegs. I don’t know how to interpret those squeaking noises – from your description of her behavior she doesn’t seem to be in any particular distress/discomfort.
  
  Idea: Have you examined any of her poops (breaking them open) to see if she’s excreting any of that window mesh?
  
  Keep monitoring her; if she stops eating/pooping completely at any point or starts exhibiting behavior that’s consistent with pain/discomfort (such as retreating to a corner of her hutch/cage and assuming a hunched posture), then you need to contact a vet ASAP. Actually, as I said in my previous post, I think you should find a vet in your area who knows about rabbit health and consult with them in any event, describing the incident and symptoms as you’ve been reporting them to us.
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